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Roger Sedjo, a Washington-based economist, was involved in the IPCC’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th assessments between 1996 and 2007. He was a lead author of one of the chapters in the 3rd assessment and part of the team to be awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Sedjo is also a senior fellow and the director of Resources for the Future’s forest economics and policy programme. Excerpts from an interview with Ashish Kumar Sen

President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address on Wednesday contained an urgent message: As countries like India and China invest in their future, the United States of America cannot afford to be in second place.

In a candid assessment of the US' fragile relationship with Pakistan, a state department policy paper on Thursday admitted that there is a degree of mistrust between Washington and Islamabad, but democratic rule in Pakistan has created a window of opportunity. The report makes a point of noting that while the US military presence in the region is not open-ended, its non-military commitment would be a long-term one.

As a younger man, Dr Raj Shah had boarded a flight from the US to India for a 24-hour visit. The sole purpose of the visit was to propose to his future wife at the Taj Mahal. He matched that athleticism when he scaled the 14,400-foot Mt Ranier, considered by seasoned mountaineers to be one of the most difficult climbs in the US. The peak combines the challenges of a treacherous glacier with the unpredictability of an active volcano. Yet these accomplishments pale in comparison with the task Dr Shah faces at the helm of the US Agency for International Development, a key component in a larger effort by President Barack Obama's administration to repair America's image overseas.

Richard Holbrooke, whose appointment last year as US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan created some unease in New Delhi following talk that India may be added to his portfolio, on Thursday said he never sought the additional responsibility and that it was not his job to negotiate issues between India and Pakistan.

A furious President Barack Obama on Tuesday said there had been unacceptable intelligence lapses that allowed a suspected terrorist to board a US-bound flight on Christmas Day and attempt to blow it up.